Google Voice number portability now available to all

Last week we reported that Google had finally begun rolling out support for incoming number ports to its Google Voice service. Lack of the feature, as any Google Voice user will likely attest to, has been a sore spot for Google’s telephony product since the company first acquired GrandCentral in 2007. Today, Google has announced that the new feature is now available to all current Google Voice users. Number portability allows users to transfer their cell phone or landline telephone numbers between service providers. Google Voice has always supported outbound number porting, which allowed users to transfer their Google Voice number to another carrier, but incoming ports had been off limits until recently. Google charges a one-time $20 fee to port a number into Google Voice, and the process takes approximately 24 hours. Hit the break for a video explaining the process.

Still only mobile number porting. I need to port my Vonage number and have been waiting years to do so. Google voice is half way there – hurry up and finish so everyone can join the party.

Bringit

that is a very sweet option.

Spotmark

You still can’t port a landline. I don’t see the point in porting my mobile number.

http://twitter.com/netposer net poser

How is this legal? Meaning, it’s illegal for carriers to charge for porting? So how does Google get around that?

Joes

Please bring to Canada! We need it more.

Chut Pata

Sorry, no GV for Canada. With Grand Central you could forward your call to your Canadian number. Lots of Canadians used this service to save long distance but Google killed it when it bought GC and converted it into GV.

Liquidlink

Does anyone know the answer to this question…if I port my number to Google Voice and lets say in 1 year I want to port it back to a cell carrier, can I do this?

Chut Pata

That would be outgoing, and, and as this article says, it was always there. It was the incoming porting that was not there.

http://twitter.com/glynor Ed Ryan

There is a mistake in this article (and one that makes me sad). The Porting feature for Google Voice is NOT currently available for land line numbers (or corporate mobile numbers). It is personal mobile numbers only at this point.

This is really too bad. I think some of the best promise of Google Voice is porting over your “traditional” home phone number, to allow you to completely cut the cord at home, while keeping your existing home number available.

Danny

When did Google Voice support outbound ports? I have a killer GV number that I’d like to port to T-Mobile.

Tom

Just trying to wrap my head around the implications of this for myself (and probably the majority of iPhone users), please point out anything incorrect. Porting the number to Google will terminate the AT&T contract resulting in an ETF if still on contract. I’ll then need to get a new plan with AT&T, and the new number will be meaningless for the most part as the phone will be linked to the Google Voice number. I will then have to use the GV app for calls and text messages to avoid fragmentation, as using the native phone and messaging app will display the new useless number that no one knows. Minutes will still accrue the same as before but I can cut out the AT&T text message monthly charge (yes I could have done this before but didn’t want to confuse contacts with one number for calls and one number for texts). Also get access to all the features of GV.

tmcb

I am really having a hard time realizing the benefits of this. Call it my ignorance, but can anyone explain (in layman terms) how this is beneficial?

Josh

So this sucks, I’d have to get a new iPhone contract?? I’ve been waiting for this for over 2 years and now only to find out that I’d have to lose my contract? I am the primary on the family plan for 4 iPhones… this would screw everything up on my AT&T account… why can’t this be easier?

Joes

I don’t think you would need a new contract. You could just contact your carrier and let them know that you are going to port your number and that you need a new number from them. The benefit of this is that it will ring any number that you add as your forwarding number. You could add your work line and your home line and it would ring them both as well as your cell phone. Plus you can use the GV client on any computer and save on voice minutes. You could use the GV client to send text messages and not have to use carrier text mesmessages.

Joes

..got cut off.
You wouldn’t have to use carrier text messages. There are other features like visual voice mail…etc. I personally don’t have Google Voice since it doesn’t work in Canada!!(FU Google)! But I see nothing but goodness in this. You could use it to free yourself of a contract. It would be awesome if you could just get a data plan and not have voice at all.

Forevergreen

not positive, but I think there is a way around the land-line porting issue. I have two landlines for my business that I ported to verizon wireless years ago. so, assuming I can port these, which I may, all you would need to do is temporarily port your landline to wirless with standard carrier, then go to gv. If gv is important to you, it’s probably worth the effort.

Tom

Joes – I’m admittedly no expert, but your post makes no sense. If you port your number to GV and get a new number from, say AT&T, how would that free you of a contract? If they did let that happen you’d still have the remaining time left from the original contract. You then proceed to list reasons why telco companies would NOT want this happen – losing minutes and text message revenue to GV. Finally, even if you could get just a data plan with AT&T that wouldn’t fly with GV mobile- it’s not VoIP, it uses minutes.